1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for the treatment of cancer using radiation, and, more specifically, to systems and methods for the treatment of cancer using implanted brachytherapy seeds.
2. Background
Brachytherapy, a useful technique for treating cancer, is a radiation treatment using a solid or enclosed radioisotopic source on the surface of the body or a short distance from the area to be treated. With respect to prostate cancer, for example, brachytherapy involves the implantation of radiotherapy seeds into the prostate. The effectiveness of the brachytherapy treatment depends, however, on the particularized placement of the implanted brachytherapy seeds to achieve a preferred radiotherapy dose.
The radiotherapy dose administered to the patient may be calculated by observing the three dimensional (3D) positions of the brachytherapy seeds with respect to the affected tissue. Computed tomography (CT) is one technique used to determine the three dimensional locations of the seeds. A common problem with using CT, however, is that many operating rooms do not contain CT equipment. This makes it impossible to evaluate and subsequently adjust the dose of radiotherapy while the patient is in the treatment position. For example, if xe2x80x9ccold spotsxe2x80x9d are found after imaging with CT, then the patient must be retreated.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that provide the capability of determining the three-dimensional location of brachytherapy seeds without requiring use of CT.